op racine



Nov. 13,1923. 7 1,473,767

L. J. D. HEALY FLOOR OR WALL COVERING Filed Aug. 5. 1921 Patented Nov. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATES.

1,473,767 PATENT OFFICE.

LEON J. D. HEALY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOB TO WRIGHT RUBBER PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF RACINE, WISCONSEN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

I FLOOR OR VIALL COVERING.

Application filed August 5, 1921. Serial No. 490,038.

T 0 Mi whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON J. D. HnALY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Floor or Wall Coverings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to floor or wall covering.

Such floor or wall covering comprises in general a unitary fiat interlocking block, a plurality of which may be arranged side by side in interlocking engagement to cover a given areaof floor or wall.

An object of this invention is to provide a flat interlocking floor or wall covering unit wherein the locking means is covered by the units themselves and is not exposed at the upper surface thereof.

Another object is toprovide a simple efficient interlocking floor or wall covering unit which may be easily and quickly laid and when so laid'is securely locked against displacement.

Another object is to provide a floor or wall covering wherein interlocking units may be arranged with their corresponding elements or edges parallel.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

The views of the drawings are:

Fig. 1 is a top plan of the floor or wall covering unit.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the floor or wall covering unit.

Fig. 3is a topplan of a section of floor covering made up of the interlocking units.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on line 4.4: of Fig. 3.

The floor covering unit as illustrated in the drawings is made in fiat square units. The units may of course be made in other forms.

The floor covering may be made of a composition of rubber and glue, although other ingredients may be employed, as the composition of the covering forms no part of the present invention.

The floor covering comprises a flat square unit 1, having in three edges thereof recesses or depressions 2, 8 and 4 which open to the bottom of the floor covering unit. The depth of these depressions or recesses 2,3 and t is less than the thickness of the floor covering itself.

The floor covering unit is also provided with a plurality of projecting fingers 5, 6 and '7 corresponding to the depressions or recesses.

The thickness and extent of these fingers correspond to the depth and extent of the depressions or recesses so thatthe fingers of one block will fit into the recesses of another block arranged adjacent thereto.

The bottom surfaces of these fingers and of the floor covering unit are in the same plane. The marginal'edges of the upper surface of the block are in thesame planes with and directly over the marginal edges of the lower surface of the block throughout the greater portion of their extent, and the upper and lower portions of the block are therefore substantially co-extensive. hen laying the covering on a floor or wall the unit is placed so that the bottom surface of its finger lies flat along the surface to be covered.

In order that each unit may be held in place on the wall or floor which it covers, nails or screws 8, or other fastening means, may extend through the fingers and into the floor or wall.

After one coveringunit has been securely fastened to the floor or wall, another unit may be arranged alongside thereof sothat the finger thereof enters the recess of the unit already fastened to the floor, and the finger of the unit already fastened to the floor fits into the recess of the unit being arranged in place.

Ordinarily when laying the covering on the wall or fioor, fastening means are provided for only two of the fingers of each unit, as one finger of the unit being arranged in place must be inserted in a recess of the adjacent unit already laid. Thus if laying the units from left to right, no fastening means would be provided for finger 5, while if laying the units from right to left no fastening means would be provided for fingers 6.

As the floor or wall covering units are being laid, the edges of adjacent units may be cemented together so as to prevent water or other liquid finding its way down through any cracks between adjacent units and under the floor covering unit.

Fig. 3 shows a section of floor or Wall corering made up of the unit shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be noted that the exposed surface of the floor covering units entirely covers the fingers and cooperating recesses which form the interlocking means for the floor or wall covering units.

Therefore the surface of the floor covering which is exposed is free from any projections over which one might stumble or by means of which there might be a tendency for the units to be displaced.

It will be further noted that in laying the covering every unit occupies the same relative position with respect to its adjacent units. The correspondin fingers and recesses extend in the same 6 irection and simi lar elements of the blocks are arranged in parallel relation.

While the drawings show the exposed surface of the floor or wall covering units as being plain, any desired form of raised design might be provided therefor.

The invention contained herein is, of course, susceptible of other embodiments and adaptations.

The invention claimed is:

1. An interlocking floor or wall covering unit comprising a flat block having its upper and lower portions substantially coextensive and provided with a recess in one edge and the bottom thereof and a projection on another edge thereof whereby when two blocks are arranged side by side with their corresponding edges parallel on the surface to be covered the projection of one lies flat on such surface and enters the recess in the other thus locking the two blocks together.

2. An interlocking floor or wall covering unit comprising a flat block having the marginal edges of its upper and lower surfaces in the same planes throughout the greater portion of their extent and provided with a depression in one edge and bottom thereof and a projection whose thickness'is less than that of the block extending from another edge thereof so'as to fit into the depression of a similar block when two blocks are arranged side by side with their correspond. ing elements parallel.

3. An interlocking floor or wall covering unit comprising a flat block having its up per and lower portions substantially co-extensive and having a recess in the bottom thereof open at one edge thereof and provided with a projection on the opposite edge thereof, the thickness of the projection being uniform throughout its extent and less than that of the block so as to fit into the recess of the adjacent similar block and to be covered by said block.

4. A floor or wall covering composed of similarly formed interlocking flat units the edges of each unit being substantially normal to its upper face and each unit having recesses in three edges thereof all of said recesses being near the end of the unit, and a like number of corresponding shaped pro jections extending from the edges thereof. the recesses and projections being so disposed and formed that they register and lock together adjacent units, each unit ove lying the projections of adjacent units.

5. An interlocking floor or wall covering unit comprising a fiat block having recesses in the edges thereof and correspondingly shaped fingers projecting from the edges thereof, some of said edges having both projections and recesses and others of said edges having only projections or recesses the depth of the recesses and the thickness of the fingers being less than the thickness of the block whereby when two similar blocks are arranged side by side a projection of one enters a recess of the other and locks the blocks together.

6. A flat interlocking floor or wall cov ering unit having its upper and lower portions substantially coextensive and having a recess in one edge thereof and an integral finger extending from another edge thereof the dimensions of the finger and recess being approximately the same so that when two units are arranged side by side with their corresponding elements parallel the finger of one will lit into the recess of the other thereby locking the two units together.

7. A flat rectangular floor or wall covering unit having the marginal edges of its upper and lower surfaces in the same planes throughout the greater portion of their extent and having recesses inopposite edges and the bottom thereof and correspondingly shaped fingers in said edges whereby two such blocks are locked together when placed side by side with a finger of one en-- tering a recess of the other, the finger being adapted to have passed'therethrough means for fastening the unit to the wall or floor.

8. A square interlocking floor or wall covering unit, having recesses in two opposite edges thereof and corresponding fingers pro j ecting from such edges the recesses and projections being located near one end of the unit a recess only in another edge thereof and a corresponding finger in the edge opposite thereto, all the recesses being open at the bottom of the unit and the recesses and projections being less in depth and thickness respectively thanthe thickness of the unit so that when a plurality of such units are arranged edge to edge with the fingers locked into the corresponding recesses the fingers of one unit are covered by the adjacent unitsa In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

LEON J. D. HEALY. 

